14. instrument
instrument mode holds 8 instrument tracks.
an instrument can either be a sampler or a built-in synth engine, each with its own characteristics.
select a track by pressing the 1-8 keys, to change the instrument assigned to a track, press shift and M1.
to select a sample pack or synth engine or to change the preset on that track, hold shift and press the track button you wish to replace.
enter instrument mode
press instrument to open instrument mode.
14.1 engine
the engine is where sound is generated, the source of audio, noise or any musical tones.
engine
M1 is where you will find the synth, drum or sampler.
change engine
hold shift and press M1 to select the engine on the current track
edit
when in M1, the encoders will control the various synth engine, sampler or drum parameters
a full list of what the parameters control can be found in the engine chapter.
14.2 envelopes
the envelopes allow you to shape your sound, how it fades in, sustains and fades out.
envelopes
M2 holds the envelopes. OP–XY features two envelopes per track, one amplitude envelope and one filter envelope.
switch envelopes
click on an encoder to switch between amplitude and filter envelopes. this applies to both drum and synth type tracks.
edit envelopes
while in the envelopes page, rotate the encoders to adjust the following:
dark gray - attackmid gray - decaylight gray - sustainwhite - release
play mode
hold shift while in M2 to modify the play mode.
play mode
rotate the dark gray knob to select between poly, mono and legato. this changes both how the notes play and how many you can play at the same time.
portamento
rotate the mid gray knob to adjust portamento amount, this is the time it takes to glide between notes.
bend range
rotate the light grey knob to adjust the bend range, this is the pitch range of the pitch bend.
preset volume
rotate the white knob to adjust the preset volume, this is separate from the track volume and allows you to ensure your presets have a consistent volume.
14.3 filter
the filter allows you to remove frequencies and make others more pronounced.
filter
M3 is where you can find the filter. OP–XY features a range of different filters to choose from which will each impart a unique sound on your instrument.
change filter
holding shift and pressing M3 will allow you to change the filter type. OP–XY features several filters, each with their own character.
cutoff
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the filter cut-off. this is the frequency before or after which the filter will take effect.
resonance
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the resonance, this is a volume boost at the cut-off frequency and can be used to accentuate the effect of the filter.
envelope amount
rotating the light gray knob will adjust the envelope amount, this is how much the filter envelope on M2 will move the filter.
key tracking
rotating the white knob will adjust the key tracking on the filter, opening or closing the filter depending on the pitch of the note played.
track send
hold shift while in M3 to modify the play mode.
aux out
rotate the dark gray knob increase the aux out send.
tape
rotate the mid gray knob to increase the tape send.
fx i
rotate the light gray knob to increase the fx i send.
fx ii
rotate the white knob to increase the fx ii send.
14.4 lfo
lfos allow you to make more complex sounds through the process of modulation.
lfo
M4 holds the lfo. lfos allow you to add hands-free modulation to your tracks. you can choose from several lfos which will each impart a different effect on the desire track.
source/rate
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the source or rate of the lfo. clicking it in some lfos will adjust the shape.
amount
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the amount that the lfo affects the destination parameter.
destination
rotating the light gray knob will select the destination on the track, this is the module that you wish to assign the lfo to.
parameter
rotating or pressing down the white knob will select the parameter you wish to modulate, this is the encoder on the destination module that you wish to modulate.
change lfo
press shift and M4 in combination to change the lfo type. there are four lfo types available on OP–XY: element, random, tremolo and value.
sub functions
some lfos feature sub functions—you can edit these by clicking the encoders or alternatively holding shift and rotating the encoders.
duck
duck allows you to create a pumping sidechain effect on the current track by modulating the track’s volume with audio or note data, perfect for dance music or even just to create some space.
source/rate
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the source of the ducking compression, you can select from any of the 8 instrument (1–8) or 8 auxiliary (9–16) tracks as well as the metronome for 4 on the floor style ducking.
amount
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the amount that duck affects the volume of the sound.
hold
rotating the light gray knob will adjust the how long the duck is held.
release
rotating the white knob will adjust how the length of the duck’s release.
source type
clicking the dark gray knob will change the source type between audio and note data.
element
element uses the built-in gyroscope and microphone, as well as the envelope and a combination of all three to use as a modulation source.
source
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the source of the element lfo. available sources are:
gyroscopebuilt-in microphoneamp envelopesum (all of those combined)
gyroscopebuilt-in microphoneamp envelopesum (all of those combined)
amount
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the amount that the lfo affects the destination parameter.
destination
rotating the light gray knob will select the destination on the track, this is the module that you wish to assign the lfo to.
parameter
rotating or pressing down the white knob will select the parameter you wish to modulate, this is the encoder on the destination module that you wish to modulate.
random
random uses a random value generator as a modulation source.
speed
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the speed of the random lfo. turning it anti-clockwise will allow you to tempo sync the speed and rotating it clockwise until the dial is shown will allow a continuous speed change.
amount
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the amount that the lfo affects the destination parameter.
destination
rotating the light gray knob will select the destination on the track, this is the module that you wish to assign the lfo to. each module has a regular and ‘free’ destination, when set to the free destination, the value does not reset when a key is pressed, instead continuously modulating the parameter.
parameter
rotating or pressing down the white knob will select the parameter you wish to modulate, this is the encoder on the destination module that you wish to modulate.
envelope
holding shift while rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the envelope of the random lfo, allowing you to slowly fade the modulation in or out.
tremolo
tremolo is great for adding subtle or dramatic variations to the volume and pitch of a track.
speed
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the speed of the tremolo lfo. turning it anti-clockwise will allow you to tempo sync the speed and rotating it clockwise until the dial is shown will allow a continuous speed change.
amount
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the amount that the lfo affects the vibrato. this modulates the pitch of the sound.
volume
rotating the light gray knob will adjust the amount that the lfo affects the volume. this modulates the volume of the sound, creating a tremolo effect.
envelope
rotating the white knob will adjust the envelope of the tremolo lfo, allowing you to slowly fade the modulation in or out.
shape
holding shift while rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the envelope of the random lfo, allowing you to slowly fade the modulation in or out.
value
value uses a continuous or triggered low frequency oscillator to modulate a chosen parameter.
speed
rotating the dark gray knob will adjust the speed of the value lfo. turning it anti-clockwise will allow you to tempo sync the speed and rotating it clockwise until the dial is shown will allow a continuous speed change.
amount
rotating the mid gray knob will adjust the amount that the lfo affects the destination parameter.
destination
rotating the light gray knob will select the destination on the track, this is the module that you wish to assign the lfo to. each module has a regular and ‘free’ destination, when set to the free destination, the value does not reset when a key is pressed, instead continuously modulating the parameter.
parameter
rotating or pressing down the white knob will select the parameter you wish to modulate, this is the encoder on the destination module that you wish to modulate.
14.5 preset settings
preset settings allow you to adjust everything from tuning to modulation targets. use the color coded encoders to adjust the various settings.
once you are happy with your settings press any of the module buttons (M1-M4) or the instrument button to return to the the instrument pages.
press shift and instrument to enter the preset settings
settings/mod
rotate the dark gray knob to select between settings and modulation.
setting
rotate the mid gray knob to select the setting you wish to edit
value
rotate the light gray or white knob to edit the value on the selected setting.
settings
the settings tab holds settings for tuning, allowing for microtonal adjustments and transposition, you can create up to 11 user tunings, where you can set the pitch of each note.
here you can also add a basic high pass to the track for filtering out low frequencies, control velocity sensitivity, adjust the style of portamento and increase the width of your preset, spreading the sound.
mod
in the mod settings you can change the routing of the modwheel, aftertouch, pitchbend and velocity to control various synth parameters.
tuning
to create your own tuning, open the preset settings then go to settings, then tuning.
select tuning
use the light grey knob to select one of the user tuning slots.
edit
press M4 to edit the user tuning slot.
set notes
select the note you wish to edit by playing it on the musical keyboard and then rotate the dark gray knob to adjust the tuning in cents and the mid gray knob to adjust the tuning in micro-cents.
14.6 view and create presets
OP–XY comes with presets for every engine and category of sound. these allow you to quickly get up and running with the sound you want.
you can of course create your own presets to lend the device a unique and personal sound.
press shift and any track button while in instrument mode to view and change the preset on that track.
category/engine
hold shift and rotate the dark gray knob to switch between category view and engine view.
type
rotate the dark gray knob to select the category or engine you wish to choose from.
preset
rotate the mid gray, light grey or white knob to select the preset within that category.
select
click any encoder to select the preset.
scramble
if you want to mess up a sound, or flick through some random sounds then hold a track button and press M1 to scramble that track.
copy preset
to copy a sound from one track to another, hold the track button you wish to copy, then press M2 to copy it.
paste preset
to paste a sound from one track to another, hold the track button for the track you wish to paste to and press M3 to paste it into that track.
save preset
once you have a sound that you are happy with, you can save it as a preset by holding the track button for that track then pressing M4 to save it.
rename preset
select a user preset and press M3 to rename it. use the dark grey knob to select a character and the other knobs to edit it. confirm with M1, next character with M2, cancel with M3 and delete with M4.
delete preset
select a user preset and press M4 to delete it.